DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee CBC 22201/13/0105/2324 Government of India Ensuring dignity of women Scan for more information Hamara sankalp Viksit Bharat BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY 12 crore toilets built, over 4 lakh 40 thousand villages declared ‘ODF+’ BENCH QUASHES REMISSION, TELLS 11 CONVICTS TO SURRENDER IN TWO WEEKS ‘Abuse of power’: SC scraps release of Bilkis case rape-murder convicts SC:Pardonobtainedfraudulently...Gujarat Govtactedintandemwithconvict... remissionordersstereotyped,cyclostyled SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 PAKISTAN'S SPY agency ISI had tipped off India through the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad about an al-Qaeda plot to carry out an attack in Kashmir in June 2019, which turnedouttobegenuine,former Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria has revealed in his latest book. In his book, titled “Anger CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANANTHAKRISHNAN G ADITI RAJA THE SUPREME Court Monday struck down the relief granted by the Gujarat government in August 2022 to 11 men who were sentenced to life for the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and murder of her family members during the 2002 riots, and ordered them to surrender to jail authorities within two weeks. In its order, a bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said the Gujarat government’s decision to grant remissiontoconvictswas“aninstance of usurpation of jurisdiction and…of abuseof discretion”and that the State “acted in tandem andwascomplicit”withtheconvicts. Remission means a reduction in sentence imposed on a person convicted of a crime. “IT FEELS like a stone the size of a mountain has been lifted from mychest,andIcanbreatheagain. This is what justice feels like.” Hours after the Supreme Court quashed the early release NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 VADODARA, JANUARY 8 Justice B V Nagarathna; Justice Ujjal Bhuyan The Supreme Court said Gujarat was not the “appropriate government” to decide on the remission plea of the11 men convictedforthe “grotesqueand diabolicalcrime...drivenbycommunal hatred”. The bench pointed out that Section 432(7)(b) of The Code of Criminal Procedure,whichdeals with the power of remission, clearly indicates that the State within which the offender is CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE EDITORIAL PAGE ANEXTRAORDINARY JUDGMENT By INDIRA JAISING PAGE 10 INSIDE RULE OF LAW vs RIGHT TO LIBERTY: WHAT SC SAID MORE REPORTS, PAGES 9, 14 ‘I have wept tears of relief’ granted by the Gujarat government to the 11 convicts, Bilkis Bano, in a statement released to The Indian Express through her advocate, said: “Today is truly the New Year for me”. “I have wept tears of relief. I smiled for the first time in over a year-and-a-half. I have hugged CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 What next? Ball in BJP-led Maharashtra Govt’s court SADAF MODAK MUMBAI, JANUARY 8 ALL EYES will now be on the Maharashtra government — whether it extends any relief to the 11 convicts. In its order, the Supreme Courthasindicatedthattheconvicts can seek remission, but they need to be in prison for this. "We say so for another reasonin the ● event respondent Nos.3 to 13 (the 11 convicts) are E EXPLAINED Ex-envoy: ISI tipped off India in 2019 about Qaeda plot to hit Kashmir Today is my New Year, I can breathe, this is what justice feels like: Bilkis CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Indian tourists in Maldives near double to 11% in 5 yrs SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, JANUARY 8 INDIA HAS emerged as the top source market for tourism for Maldives since the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the significant reliance of the latter on Indian visitors. Adiplomaticrowhaserupted following derogatory remarks againstPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi by three Maldivian deputy THE EDITORIAL PAGE PULL BACK FROM BRINK Blame for row with India lies with Maldives. But it frames dangers of hypernationalism on both sides PAGE10 ministers after his visit to the Lakshadweepislandstopromote tourism there. Under fire, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Har roz apne passion par kam karna hai zindagi ki SIP Zindagi ke liye SIP Adhik jaankari ke liye apne MFD/RIA se sampark karein ya scan karein SIP ke fayde Market ki timing se azadi Nivesh raashi chunne ki azadi An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative SIP - Systematic Investment Plan. Visit https://www.hdfcfund.com/information/key-know-how to know more about the process to complete a one-time Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement to invest in Mutual Funds. Investors should only deal with registered Mutual Funds, details of which can be verified on the SEBI website (www.sebi.gov.in/intermediaries.html). 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